Method and system for transacting with network traffic

ABSTRACT

A system and method for using targeted network traffic as payment-in-kind in exchange for rights to anything that may be connected to a network, such as network-connected computer hardware and copyrighted software or content on such hardware, is disclosed. The method may be adapted for use with almost any product or service which may be tracked over a network. The system and method are for use with transactions between a user of a subject product or service and a provider of the subject product or service desiring to receive traffic to a target in exchange for it.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 09/837,719filed Apr. 18, 2001 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,978,252, which claims prioritypursuant to 35 U.S.C. §119(e) to U.S. Provisional Application No.60/198,492, filed Apr. 18, 2000, which applications are specificallyincorporated herein, in their entirety, by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to methods and systems for transactingbusiness, and more particularly to methods for enabling transactions innetwork traffic, including using traffic as payment-in-kind forsoftware, hardware or other products and services that may be connectedto a wide area network.

2. Description of Related Art

The widespread availability of “free” services over publicly accessiblenetworks, such as the Internet, both reflects and reinforces awidespread expectation that software (and by implication, the hardwarethat software runs on) be made available on public networks in exchangefor something other than the payment of cash by the software end user tothe software owner or licensee. This expectation is consistent withpublic expectations concerning proprietary material, such as copyrightedentertainment, offered over traditional broadcast media such astelevision or radio. According to the prevalent business model inbroadcasting, the end user who receives and enjoys broadcast materialpays nothing directly to the broadcaster or producer to defray theirproduction and broadcasting expenses. Instead, these costs are primarilypaid for by sponsors who purchase advertising time or space from thebroadcaster. The sponsors, in turn, recoup their advertising costs fromconsumers who are at least in part induced to purchase goods or servicesfrom the sponsor as a result of advertisements.

A similar model is used in networked media. A network host defrays thecosts of operating a website by selling advertising space to sponsors.Frequently, the host provides copyrighted content for free use orviewing to attract consumers to the host site, who view the advertisingand thereby contribute to the creation of the valuable advertising spacethat is sold by the host to the sponsor.

The sponsor typically desires to asses the monetary value of theadvertising time or space that it is purchasing. In broadcast models,this is often done through using sophisticated analytical andmeasurement tools to estimate the extent that advertisements are beingviewed, and the extent to which the viewing of advertisements results ingreater revenues to the sponsor. Similar tools may be employed innetworked media; however, networked media affords the additionalopportunity to directly measure “traffic” to a network target generatedby a particular ad or web page. Traffic may be measured in variousautomatic ways, such as by counting “click-through” to the target.However it is measured, traffic essentially represents a direct measureof consumer interest in the target. Because it can be quickly andautomatically determined, and represents a direct measure of consumerinterest, the cash value of traffic is readily assessable. The source oftraffic to a target is also readily and automatically determinable. Forexample, the traffic generated by a particular ad, such as a banner ad,may readily be determined. Accordingly, traffic can be bought, sold,exchanged for value, and otherwise used in business like any othercommodity.

However, transactions in network media have not heretofore been able totake full advantage of the abundant opportunities that traffic as anexchangeable commodity offers. For example, most frequently, networkmedia transactions merely mimic the classic media model whereby asponsor pays cash in exchange for advertising space (such as a bannerad) on a web server. For further example, slightly more sophisticatedtransactions include those, such as a free web hosting service, whereinrights to use a network resource are exchanged for a right to occupyviewing space on a user's view screen with banner ads and similartraffic-generating objects. In a free host service, the user (typically,an individual consumer) does not pay for the right to connect to andaccess the network through a host server. Instead, the user grants thehost server the right to insert advertising on the user's viewingscreen. In other words, the right to occupy space on the user's viewscreen supplants cash as payment-in-kind.

In both of the foregoing examples, it is advertising space that isexchanged, not traffic itself. However, traffic is a more desirable andmore valuable commodity, because it is more closely related to thedesired end result (namely, increased sales by a sponsor) than isadvertising space. Furthermore, exchanges of advertising space sufferfrom several limitations. For example, free host servers typicallyconfigure the user's interface so that a substantial portion of the viewscreen is always occupied by the host's advertising. This is obtrusiveand substantially reduces the user's usable viewing area, making thefree host service less desirable and less likely to attract the moredesirable users, that is, those who can afford to pay for network accesswithout giving up viewable area. In general, the effectiveness ofadvertising on the Internet has come into question, and is frequentlynot as effective as desired. Furthermore, exchanges of advertising spaceare more limited in applicability than exchanges of the more fungibleand liquid traffic would be, if only a system and method were availableto make such transactions feasible.

It is desired, therefore, to provide a system and method whereby traffic(and not merely advertising space) may be exchanged for a propertyright, such as a license to use or an ownership right tonetwork-connected devices and to copyrighted content on such devices.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a system and method for transacting withtargeted network traffic, including using such traffic aspayment-in-kind for rights to anything that may be connected to anetwork. Such network-connected things include, of course,network-connected computer hardware, copyrighted software, or otherelectronic content. The day is fast approaching that almost any articleof commerce can be made network-connectable by incorporation of aninexpensive remote communication device, and almost every transactioninvolving a good or service involves at least the recording of thetransaction in a network-connectable device. Accordingly, the presentinvention in one of its various embodiments is believed to be applicableto an almost unlimited range of transactions.

The method according to the invention is for use in a transactionbetween a user of a subject product or service and a provider of thesubject product or service desiring to receive traffic to a target inexchange for it. The method may be generally described as follows. Theuser is capable of generating network traffic to the target, and isaccordingly referred to herein as a “traffic generator.” The subjectproduct or service, herein referred to as the “subject,” is connected toa network. A traffic destination designated by the provider, such as aweb page or web site, herein referred to as a “target,” and anapplication for performing steps of the method, herein referred to as a“traffic manager” are also connected to the network. The traffic managermay be incorporated into the subject (for example, if the subjectcomprises a web site), or may reside in a separate device. The trafficmanager is configured to receive state information from the subject, andparticularly, information about the state of use of the subject, such asthe extent and manner to which the subject has been used or consumed,and to correspondingly debit a traffic generator account an amountdepending on its state of use. The traffic generator is provided with aunique redirection code, and causes requests containing the redirectioncode to be directed to the traffic manager. For example, the trafficgenerator may erect a web site containing selectable links that, whenselected by someone browsing the web site, send a request containing theredirection code to the traffic manager. The traffic manager is furtherconfigured to receive requests over the network. When the trafficmanager receives a request containing a redirection code, the trafficmanager redirects the request to the target, and credits a trafficgenerator account an amount depending on how the traffic to the targetis measured. The traffic manager retains the traffic generator accountinformation for use by the sponsor and traffic generator. A systemaccording to the invention comprises the traffic manager operativelyincorporated in a network-connectable device.

The operation of the method may be enhanced by many optional stepsdepending on the specific application. In an embodiment of the method,the traffic generator takes a predetermined action when the trafficgenerator account achieves a certain state. For example, if the creditsto the account are too low relative to the debits, causing the generatoraccount to fall below a predetermined level, the traffic manager mayinstruct the subject to change its operating state. For example, if thesubject is a powered device, the subject may be instructed to power downor enter a suspended (generally non-operative) state until otherwiseinstructed by the traffic manager. For applications where the subject iscapable of generating traffic, such as when the subject is a web host orweb site, the subject may be instructed to generate more requestscontaining the traffic generator's redirection code. This may beaccomplished, for example, by increasing the number of selectable linkson a web site that will cause a request containing the redirection codeto be generated, or by randomly selecting and inserting a redirectioncode in a proportion of all requests generated by the web site.Furthermore, the traffic manager may take different actions at differentaccount levels. The traffic manager may additionally take certain otheractions, such as generating an account statement, at predeterminedtimes.

In another embodiment of the invention, the traffic manager isconfigured to receive traffic information from the target and use suchinformation in determining how the traffic generator account is to bedebited. For example, greater credit could be awarded for traffic thatis associated with certain actions taken at the target site, andparticularly, sales initiated at the target site from traffic generatedby the traffic generator. Such steps are useful for encouraging thetraffic generator to direct high-quality, profitable traffic to thetarget, instead of merely a large number of “clicks.”

The following exemplary applications of the method according to theinvention illustrate the operation of the method. In an first exemplaryapplication, the subject comprises software or other copyrighted contentfor use on a web server, and the traffic manager is incorporated as amodule or component of the subject. The traffic generator installs anduses the subject software on a web server in exchange for traffic to bedirected to the sponsor thereby, and the subject software ispre-configured (or is configured by the traffic generator) to generatetraffic containing a redirection code, such as “http://site/redir.dll.”All requests from the web server are routed through the traffic manager,which redirects traffic containing the redirection code to a targetspecified by the sponsor. The traffic may be redirected by a server-sideredirection command, or less preferably, a client-side meta refreshcommand. The traffic manager increments a counter (that is, the trafficgenerator account) by some number of units each time a request isreceived. The counter is decremented for each request without aredirection code, and incremented for each request with a redirectioncode. If the counter falls below a pre-determined level (such as zero),the next request received by the traffic manager, whether or not itcontains a redirection code, is redirected to the target. Alternatively,some set proportion of incoming requests are directed to the target.Either way, the sponsor is assured a minimum proportion of traffic fromthe web server running the subject server.

In a related second exemplary application of the method, the trafficmanager comprises a first component that is installed as a filter on aweb server of the traffic generator, and a second component thatfunctions as the traffic generator account manager that is installed atsome other network location. The subject software is installed on theweb server, and all of the web server traffic is routed through thefilter. Multiple web servers with multiple filter components may beconnected to the same account manager component. Periodically, thefilter component contacts the account manager component and, using apassword encrypted protocol, exchanges account information with theaccount manager. Depending on the status of the generator account, themanager component instructs the subject software as described in thefirst exemplary application.

In a third exemplary application, the subject comprises a tangible orintangible product or service that is unrelated to a web server, suchas, for example, a downloadable music file, a beverage served by arestaurant chain, or a discount to an amusement park. In the case of thedownloadable file, the necessary network connectivity may be provided byan imbedded executable routine in the file and/or the web server thatthe file is downloaded from. In the case of a product such as a beverageor a discount admission, the connectivity may be provided by apoint-of-sale device, such as a network-connected cash register orturnstile. The traffic generator desires to make the subject productavailable to its subscribers at the sponsor's expense, in exchange forgenerating traffic to the sponsor's site. The traffic manager isinstalled at a separate network location. The traffic generator causesselectable links to be erected anywhere on the network which will directrequests containing the redirection code to the traffic manager. Thelinks may be erected on a page offering the subject product to thesubscribers, or in a separate, unrelated location. Each time the subjectproduct is used (for example, each time the file is downloaded orplayed, or each time a point-of-sale event is registered), the trafficmanager receives notification over the network, and adjusts thegenerator account accordingly. For example, if the subject product is abeverage, provision of the beverage may conditioned on entry of anacceptable code (such as a coupon code) into a point-of-sale device. Thepoint-of sale device tracks information regarding such codedtransactions and relays the information to the traffic manager. Ifinsufficient traffic is generated to compensate the sponsor for the costof the subject product, the traffic manager may take certain actions,such as invoicing the traffic generator for any shortfall. The generatormay then respond by generating additional traffic or by paying theinvoice. In the alternative, or in addition, the traffic manager mayprevent any further downloading of the file or dispensing of coupons forthe subject, or if necessary, cause any unredeemed coupons or unusedfiles to become unusable by communicating with the appropriatepoint-of-sale devices or downloaded files.

A more complete understanding of the method and system according to theinvention will be afforded to those skilled in the art, as well as arealization of additional advantages and objects thereof, by aconsideration of the following detailed description of the preferredembodiment. Reference will be made to the appended sheets of drawingswhich will first be described briefly.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing exemplary relationships betweenobjects of a system according to the invention.

FIG. 2 is a portion of a block diagram showing an alternative portion ofthe system shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing exemplary functional modules of atraffic manager application according to the invention.

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram showing exemplary steps of a method accordingto the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The present invention provides a method and system for transacting withnetwork traffic, including using traffic as payment-in-kind for anythingthat may be connected to a network. The method and system isparticularly useful for enabling payment-in-kind for network resources,such as server space, network connections, and browser applications,where the subject itself may be used as a tool to generate networktraffic. However, the invention is not so limited and may be used withvirtually any product or service capable of being connected to a networkto enable its exchange for network traffic to a specified target.

FIG. 1 shows a system 100 of objects capable of performing a methodaccording to the invention. It should be appreciated that additionalobjects and elements may be present, and certain of the objects andelements of system 100 may be omitted, without departing from the scopeof the invention.

The transacting parties, sponsor 102 and traffic generator 104, may beany persons or entities desiring to engage in a transaction wherebytraffic is exchanged as payment-in-kind for a product or service. Thesponsor 102 desires to direct network traffic to target 108. Thesponsor's interest in directing traffic to target 108 may be for anynumber of reasons. For example, target 108 may advertise or take ordersfor products or services offered for sale by the sponsor. Alternatively,the sponsor may be selling advertising space on the target to otherpurveyors of goods and services.

Conversely, the traffic generator 104 desires to have or make use of theproducts offered by the sponsor, and is in a position to generatetraffic directed to a target specified by the sponsor 102. Generally, atraffic generator is an operator of a web site, or producer of a webpage or set of web pages, which attracts viewers or subscribers andwhich contain a link or links for directing viewers to the target site.However, it should be understood that the invention does not concern theexchange of a link or space on a web page or web site for anything ofvalue, and that web pages or web sites with links are not a necessaryelement of the system or method. To the contrary, the invention is notconcerned with how the traffic is generated. It is not even requiredthat the traffic generator be connected to the network, so long as thetraffic generator is capable of causing other network users to directrequests towards a specified target.

Although any entity with something of value to exchange for traffic mayplay the role of the sponsor 102, sponsors that have produced (orotherwise own) software or network-distributable content may find theinvention particularly valuable, because such products may be ofparticular interest to parties positioned to generate large quantitiesof traffic, such as web portals or hosts. Furthermore, network resources(including, for example, software, electronic content, and networkhardware) are readily connected to a network and can be configured toexchange information with other network devices. In addition, a networkresource (for example, a web site) may readily be configured such thatthe extent to which a network resource is used is related to the trafficgenerated thereby, in a sense providing an opportunity for the resourceto “pay its own freight.” Each of the foregoing factors favors exchangeof traffic for network resources, but does not preclude the exchange ofother products or services, or even of cash, for traffic.

As transacting parties, the sponsor 102 and traffic generator 104 arenot themselves operative elements of the system. Instead, the sponsor102 and generator 104 may directly or indirectly influence other objectsof the system, as indicated by the dotted lines shown in FIG. 1. Sponsor102 is concerned with traffic to target 108. Target 108 may comprise anykind of content, file, or device that is accessible to users over anetwork and for which activity may be measured. Target 108 is typicallya network location or address containing a viewable file, such as anHTML file or media file, designated and controlled by the sponsor.Various methods are known in the art for measuring the activity of suchfiles, as described below in connection with FIG. 3. Preferably, thesponsor can change the content or address of the target at any timeduring the transaction, such as by appropriately instructing the trafficmanager 110.

The sponsor 102 and the traffic generator 104 are both concerned withthe status of account 114, as indicated by the dotted lines between themand the account. However, their relationship to account 114 ispreferably an informational relationship only. That is, neither sponsor102 nor generator 104 should be permitted to directly alter the value ofaccount 114, as the value of the account should depend on extrinsicmeasures that are normally set by agreement between the sponsor and thetraffic generator. Account 114 is a file or other record of traffic 122caused by the traffic generator to the target, in relation to the stateof use of the subject 120. It should be appreciated that target 108 mayreceive other traffic not as a result of any activity by the trafficgenerator, and such other traffic need not be, and preferably is not,reflected in the status of account 114.

The traffic generator 104 has further indirect relationships with thesubject 120 and generally with users connected to system 100 via network112. These indirect relationships are again indicated by dotted lines inFIG. 2. Typically, the traffic generator 104 receives some economicbenefit from its relationship to the subject 120. Furthermore, in manyapplications the generator is also interested in a measured state of useof subject 120, which may change over time. However, in otherapplications, the subject's use state may be static. Also, the trafficgenerator typically has the power and right to alter the operation ofsubject 120, for applications where the subject operation can bealtered. Each of the foregoing relationships between the subject 120 andthe traffic generator 104 reflects a master-subject relationship, i.e.,a relationship of voluntary power on the part of the generator andpassive reaction by the subject. However, subject 120 existsindependently of generator 104, and need not require any action on thepart of generator 104 to operate as intended.

The traffic generator 104 also has a causal influence generally oversome users of network 112, and so is capable of causing traffic 116(that is, requests for information) to be directed to traffic manager110 from network 112. Generator 104 is also capable of causing at leasta portion of the requests directed to the traffic manager to contain apredetermined redirection code. Various different methods as known or asmay be devised may be used to cause traffic to flow to manager 110, andsystem 100 is not limited by the method of causation employed. Anexemplary method of causing traffic to flow in the direction of aspecified location is to erect a web page containing a routine forgenerating a request to the traffic manager. When the routine isactivated, for example, by selecting a link, closing or opening awindow, or after a specified number of clicks, a request containing aredirection code is sent to the traffic manager. In the alternative,such as, for example, when the traffic generator has a number of networkclients as subscribers, each subscriber's client device may beconfigured to send all requests to the network through the trafficmanager. Further, each device may be configured to send a requestcontaining a redirection code when specified events occur at a clientdevice, such as, for example, after specified periods of inactivity. Itshould be appreciated that any method of causation may be used withoutimpairing the operation of, or departing from the scope of, theinvention.

Traffic manager 110 is at the hub of system 100, receiving andredirecting traffic to target 108, measuring the redirected traffic 122,monitoring and optionally changing the state of subject 120, andupdating account 114. Hence, traffic manager 110 is a critical andenabling component of system 100. Once initialized, the traffic managermay function independently of the sponsor 102 and traffic generator 104to operate system 100 until terminated by occurrence of a predefinedevent. Traffic manager 110 comprises a functional unit that may residein a single application or device, or in the alternative, may bedistributed across multiple applications or devices.

However the functionality of manager 110 is achieved, it should beconfigured to have capabilities as shown in FIG. 3. It should be capableof independently and continuously receiving separate informationrequests (traffic) that are addressed to it, i.e., capable of performinga receiving function 132. It should be capable of identifying orotherwise determining which of the requests that it receives are to beredirected to the target, i.e., capable of performing a segregationfunction 134. It should be capable of redirecting requests that are tobe redirected, and letting other requests that it receives continue totheir intended destination, i.e., capable of performing a routingfunction 136. It should be capable of counting or otherwise measuringthe requests that are redirected to the target, i.e., capable ofperforming a traffic measuring function 138. It should be capable ofmaintaining an account reflecting the measured value of redirectedtraffic in relation to a static or dynamic subject value, i.e., capableof performing an accounting function 140. It should be capable ofmonitoring the status of the account and determining when account-basedactions are triggered, i.e., capable of performing an account statusfunction 142. Optionally, it should be capable of measuring use orconsumption of a subject and determining a quantified status for use inits accounting function, i.e., it should optionally be capable ofperforming a subject status (value-measuring) function 144. Alsooptionally, it should be capable of communicating trigger messages toother objects or elements of system 100 when account 114 reachespredetermined trigger states, or at predetermined times, i.e., it shouldoptionally be capable of performing a communication function 146.Traffic manager 110 may be provided with functions in addition to these,but the foregoing functions comprise a core that will be present inpreferred embodiments of the invention. One skilled in the art ofcomputer programming will appreciate various ways, in view of thepresent specification, to implement the foregoing core functionsdepending on the computing and network environment that the trafficmanager will reside in.

Within the framework of a preferred traffic manager 110, a great deal offlexibility is possible. In an embodiment of the invention, all of thefunctional modules of the traffic manager reside in a single applicationat single network address. In an alternative embodiment, the receivingfunction 132, segregation function 134, the routing function 136, andtraffic measuring function 138 are bundled together as a server-side orclient-side application. Multiple copies of the client/serverapplication are then distributed as desired to different networklocations. The remaining modules are placed in an accounting/controlmodule at a single location. Each of the distributed client/serverapplications communicates traffic information to the accounting module,preferably using an encryption protocol. This distributed embodimentfacilitates the measurement and control of a large, nearly unlimitedamount of traffic while causing minimal disruption to traffic flowpatterns. It may therefore be preferred for larger transactions whichjustify its greater complexity.

Referring again to FIG. 1, critical relationships are provided betweentraffic manager 110 and other elements of system 100, as follows.Traffic 116 from network 112 is routed through the traffic manager. Mostof this traffic may be routed back to its original destination address,as indicated by the double-headed arrow symbolizing traffic 116. Atleast a portion 122 of the traffic 116, however is redirected to target108 by the traffic manager 110, as instructed by sponsor 102. It shouldbe apparent that multiple targets may be specified by the sponsor, withone of the specified targets being selected for each redirected request.The chosen target may be selected at random from a list, may be selectedaccording to the time of the request, based on routing information, oron some other parameter. Each time a request is redirected, the trafficmanager is configured to increment a counter. In addition, the trafficmanager may be configured to record information for, and calculate a“weight” for each click, based on information such as, for example, theamount of time since the prior click from the same unique IPaddress/browser combination or from addresses on the same subnet, an“http referrer” variable, or some other criteria. Optionally, thetraffic manager may be configured to receive information from the target108 about post-click events, such as whether a new prospect wasregistered or a sale occurred as a result of the click. Using theforegoing information, the traffic manager computes a measurement valuefor traffic directed to the target according to a method agreed upon bythe sponsor and the traffic generator. The measured traffic value isthen accumulated in account 114 as a credit to the account.

Optionally, the traffic manager communicates with subject 120 to receivestate information and/or provide operating instructions to the subject.In some embodiments, subject 120 may comprise an application or devicethat is used by one or more subscribers 118. The traffic manager maycollect information about the extent to which subject 120 is used by thesubscribers, and debit account 114 as agreed by the sponsor and trafficgenerator. For example, if subject 120 comprises a web hosting service,the bandwidth consumed by the service may be integrated over time, andthe integral of the bandwidth used as a basis for debiting account 114.Any method may be used to calculate the debits to account 114, withoutdeparting from the scope of the invention. According to someembodiments, account 114 is never debited, because the subject value isconstant, as in a straight purchase of traffic for cash.

Additionally, traffic manager 110 may be configured to communicateinstructions to change the state of subject, depending, for example, onthe status of account 114. This functionality may be particularly usefulwhen the subject is configured to direct traffic to the traffic manager,as discussed below in connection with FIG. 2. For other applications,the communication function 146 may be used for implementing the terms ofan agreement between the sponsor and the traffic generator. For example,if traffic generated is insufficient to “pay” for the use of thesubject, the traffic manager could instruct the subject (preferablyafter a suitable warning period) to power down. For further example, thesubject could be instructed to enable additional features forsubscribers after predefined traffic levels are obtained.

In an embodiment of the invention, subject 120 is configured to directtraffic 116 directly to traffic manager 110, as shown in FIG. 2. Forexample, the subject 120 may comprise a web host that incorporates thetraffic manager 110 as an internal module. The web host passes alltraffic 116 generated by the host “through” the traffic manager 110, andthe traffic manager is configured to redirect all requests bearing aredirection code as redirected traffic 122 to target 108. Thenon-redirected traffic 116 is passed to its ultimate address network112. The other elements of system 100, which are not shown in FIG. 2,remain essentially the same as shown in FIG. 1.

The embodiment shown in FIG. 2 is particularly useful because thesubject 120 (e.g., a web host) is configured to cause a selected portionof traffic 116 to contain a redirection code. If redirected traffic 122is insufficient to maintain the status of account 114, the trafficmanager notifies the subject, which causes a greater portion of thetraffic 116 to contain the redirection code. This may be done any numberof ways, for example, by increasing the number of links generating aredirection code, replacing the regular web pages with specialpromotional pages containing more redirection links, or inserting aredirection code in randomly selected requests. In the alternative, thetraffic manager 110 can redirect a selected portion of traffic 116 totarget 108, even if the traffic does not contain the redirection code.The increased redirection need not occur all at once; it may besufficient to accomplish a slight increase in the redirection rate.However the increase in redirected traffic is accomplished, the sponsorcan thus be assured at least a minimum amount of traffic as compensationfor sponsor's costs of sponsoring the subject 120.

Exemplary steps of a method 200 according to the invention are shown inFIG. 4. At step 202, a subject of a transaction is provided, aspreviously described. A redirection code is also designated. In anembodiment of the invention, the redirection code designates anexecutable program module, such as a dynamic link library (“DLL”) file.When the redirection module is called, a sequence of redirection stepsmay be carried out by the designated program module. Various othermethods may be used to redirect traffic, as should be appreciated by oneskilled in the art. Any method that is capable of placing a unique flagon a request and calling a redirection routine when the flag isrecognized at a step of a routing process may be adapted for use withthe invention.

After step 202, the process enters a parallel mode, with processbranches beginning at steps 212 and 204, respectively, preferablyexecuting in parallel. At step 212, network requests for information aregenerally received, such as by a traffic manager application, and parsedfor the presence of a redirection code. If no redirection code ispresent, the request is routed to its destination as indicated at step232. If a redirection code is present, a traffic measurement counter isincremented an amount at step 216. As previously described, the amountof increment, i.e., the value or weight assigned to each redirectedrequest, may depend on various different criteria. The request isredirected to a specified target at step 218. At optional step 220,further information for weighting the value of the traffic is receivedback from the target. If desired, this information can be used to alterthe value of the increments counted at step 216, or to otherwise adjustthe account of the traffic generator. At step 222, a credit amount iscalculated based on the counter value and/or the traffic informationreceived at step 220. At step 224, the traffic generator account iscredited the amount calculated at step 222.

In a parallel process beginning at step 204, state information isreceived about the subject. In the simplest case, the state informationcomprises an initial account value, e.g., a monetary value, that remainsstatic. In many preferred embodiments, however, the state informationincludes a record of use since the last time the state information wasreceived. “Use” may be measured in various different ways depending onthe nature of the subject, of which examples have already been provided.If, at decision step 206, the state information indicates that thesubject has been used or consumed in some way, then a debit amount iscalculated at step 208, according to a predetermined formula. Again, theformula used will depend on the nature of the transaction and theagreement between the sponsor and the traffic generator. Then, at step210, the generator account is debited the amount calculated at step 208.

The parallel process branches converge again at step 226. Periodically,or upon occurrence of predetermined events, a status monitoring functionchecks the status of the generator account. If the generator accountvalues achieve predetermined trigger levels, then a predeterminedtrigger action is performed at step 228. Examples of possible triggeractions, such as instructing a capable subject to direct more traffictowards the target, have been provided in the foregoing description. Ifno trigger event is indicated at step 226, then so long as thetransaction remains active (i.e., the process is not to be terminated),the process loop continues at steps 212 and 204.

Having thus described a preferred embodiment of a method and system forsecuring payment in kind for network-connectable products and services,it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that certainadvantages of the within system have been achieved. It should also beappreciated that various modifications, adaptations, and alternativeembodiments thereof may be made within the scope and spirit of thepresent invention. For example, methods and systems for use with theInternet and Internet-connected devices have been illustrated, but itshould be apparent that the inventive concepts described above would beequally applicable to other networks. For further example, use of themethod to enable payment-in-kind transactions have been illustrated, butit should be apparent that the inventive concepts described above wouldbe equally applicable to a transaction wherein traffic is exchanged forcash. The invention is further defined by the following claims.

1. A method for transacting business between a user and a resourceprovider providing a product or service to the user and desiring trafficto a designated target over a wide area network, the method comprising:receiving, using a computer server, use information describing a measureof use by the user of one or more computer resources comprising one ormore of computer hardware or software resources of the resource providerthat operate on at least one computer associated with the resourceprovider; debiting an account associated with the user by a debit amountdetermined from the use information; determining a measure of networktraffic indicating actual network traffic generated by the user to thedesignated target, wherein the measure of network traffic is based atleast partly on a quantity of requests originating from the user thatare characterized by being redirected to a designated target;determining a credit amount based on the measure of network traffic; andcrediting the credit amount to the account associated with the user,wherein redirection of the network traffic is exchanged for at least aportion of the use of the one or more computer resources.
 2. The methodof claim 1, further comprising providing a balance amount of the accountto a sponsor of the resource.
 3. The method of claim 2, furthercomprising redirecting over the network selected ones of the requestsoriginating from the user to at least one target designated by thesponsor.
 4. The method of claim 2, wherein the determining step furthercomprises receiving traffic information from the sponsor.
 5. The methodof claim 1, further comprising causing the user to generate additionalones of the requests to be redirected to the designated target when avalue of the account is less than a predetermined value.
 6. The methodof claim 1, further comprising changing a state of the resourcedepending on a value of the account.
 7. The method of claim 1, whereinthe requests originating from the user comprise requests for a web pagefor display on a client device.
 8. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising receiving information designating the account comprising anetwork address of an executable file.
 9. The method of claim 1, whereinthe computer server receives the use information about ones of aplurality of resources, and debits the account an amount related to theuse information pertaining to the ones of the plurality of resources.10. The method of claim 1, wherein the computer server receives the useinformation from a plurality of network-connected client devices eachcontaining a copy of the resource.
 11. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising receiving the traffic from the resource, wherein the resourcecomprises a network-connected server, and wherein the traffic that isredirected originates from links stored on the server.
 12. The method ofclaim 1, further comprising receiving the traffic from the resource,wherein the resource comprises software operating on a network-connectedcomputer, and wherein the information designating the account trafficthat is redirected is automatically generated by the software withoutbeing requested by a user.
 13. The method of claim 1, wherein thecomputer server receives the use information from the resourcecomprising application software installed on a web server.
 14. Themethod of claim 13, further comprising providing the applicationsoftware configured to generate the requests originating from theresource.
 15. The method of claim 13, further comprising providing theapplication software configured to generate the requests comprising aredirection code designating an executable program module configured toinitiate redirecting of the requests.
 16. The method of claim 13,further comprising providing the application software configured togenerate the requests without requiring selection of a link by a user toinitiate the requests.
 17. A computer server containingmachine-executable instructions for transacting business between a userand a resource provider providing a product or service to the user anddesiring traffic to a designated target over a wide area network,wherein the machine-executable instructions, if executed by a computingsystem, cause the computing system to perform operations comprising:receiving use information describing a measure of use by the user of oneor more computer resources of the resource provider; debiting an accountassociated with the user by a debit amount determined from the useinformation; determining a measure of network traffic indicating networktraffic generated by the user to the designated target, wherein themeasure of network traffic is based at least partly on a quantity ofrequests originating from the user that are characterized by beingredirected to a designated target; determining a credit amount based onthe measure of network traffic; and crediting the credit amount to theaccount associated with the user wherein redirection of the networktraffic is exchanged for at least a portion of the use of the one ormore computer resources.
 18. The computer server of claim 17, whereinthe machine-executable instructions, if executed by a computing system,cause the computing system to redirect over the network selected ones ofthe requests originating from the user to at least one target designatedby a sponsor.
 19. The computer server of claim 18, wherein saiddetermining further comprises receiving traffic information from thesponsor.
 20. The computer server of claim 17, wherein themachine-executable instructions, if executed by a computing system,cause the computing system to cause the user to generate additional onesof the requests to be redirected to the designated target when a valueof the account is less than a predetermined value.
 21. An article ofmanufacture including a computer-readable medium having instructionsstored thereon that, if executed by a computing device, cause thecomputing device to perform operations comprising: receiving, using acomputer server, use information describing a measure of use of one ormore computer resources comprising one or more of computer hardware,network, or software resources of the resource provider and operating onat least one computer associated with the resource provider; debiting anaccount associated with the user by a debit amount determined from theuse information; determining a measure of network traffic indicatingactual network traffic generated by the user to the designated target,wherein the measure of network traffic is based at least partly on aquantity of requests originating from the user that are characterized bybeing redirected to a designated target; determining a credit amountbased on the measure of network traffic; and crediting the credit amountto the account associated with the users wherein redirection of thenetwork traffic is exchanged for at least a portion of the use of theone or more computer resources.
 22. The article of manufacture of claim21, wherein the operations further comprise changing a state of theresource depending on a value of the account.
 23. The article ofmanufacture of claim 21, wherein the computer server receives the useinformation about ones of a plurality of resources, and debits theaccount an amount related to the use information pertaining to the onesof the plurality of resources.